North Jetty (Hikkaduwa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming our way for the Hikkaduwa region.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. The pattern we're looking at is pretty much dominated by a persistent cross-onshore wind that just won’t let up, blowing straight out of the west. That's going to mess up the surface on just about every session we’ve got on the books. For the next two weeks, it’s a real battle to find a window of clean conditions.

The only break we’ve got to work with is North Jetty (Hikkaduwa) . It’s a point break that’s fairly consistent, which is good, and it's exposed to the SW, which is the direction of most of the swell we’re seeing. But that’s where the good news starts to thin out. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there to mention.

Let's walk through it. Starting on Friday the 31st of July, we’ve got a waist-high SW groundswell with a very long period of 16 seconds, but that west wind is blowing at 16 mph, making it choppy and pretty unpleasant. That long period (over 15 seconds) means there’s plenty of energy — we’re talking moderate energy here (943) — but on a point break, it should wrap in okay. The problem is the wind.

This theme just keeps rolling. Saturday the 1st of August gets worse, with the wind gusting up to 22 mph, and the swell jumps up. By Sunday morning the 2nd of August, we’re looking at a solid 12 ft of windswell from the west with a short period of 9 seconds and a massive amount of energy (2171). But it's a total mess – lumpy, cross-onshore, and way too big for anyone but the experts. For anyone else, this is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddling day.

The first half of the following week doesn't offer much relief. Monday the 3rd of August has a slight drop in the wind to 12 mph, but it’s still cross-onshore and the swell is a jumbled mix. We get a bit of a break Monday afternoon with a 3 ft SW groundswell (period 15 seconds) and the wind easing to 9 mph. It’s still cross-onshore and the surf is marginal, but the combined energy is moderate (1098). It’s about as clean as it gets in this forecast, which isn't saying much.

After that, it’s back to fresh breezes and lumpy conditions right through until we get to the second week. The swell stays in the 3 ft to 5 ft range, all from the SSW or SW, with periods varying from 14 to 20 seconds. There’s plenty of energy — moderate to strong (values between 100 and 2124) — but the wind is the killer. It’s the same story: risk of thunderstorms and a fresh cross-onshore breeze every single day.

Honestly, if I had to pick a standout from this whole 16-day outlook, and I’m being really picky, it would be Monday afternoon the 3rd of August. The swell is small but clean-ish, the wind is the lightest we’ll see, and the 3 ft SW swell with a 15-second period should give you some long, clean lines at the point. It’s not a classic, but it’s the best of a rough bunch. Keep an eye on the middle of the second week too – around the 14th of August we see the wind drop to 12 mph, which could offer a temporary clean-up, but it’s a long way off and that forecast is less certain.

There are no other breaks on offer here, so this is your lot for the next 16 days. It’s a persistent pattern of onshore wind that’s going to keep things choppy. It’s not going to stay poor forever, but this run is a test of patience.

Rusty.

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